The "Dusty Rusty" Edition :: Rusty's Electric Dreams, Issue #100

:: :: What happens at Burning Man, mostly stays at Burning Man :: ::

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff
Issue #100 :: The “Dusty Rusty” Edition :: 09:07:2016

Dusty Rusty…

I’m baaack..!

Burning Man was a blast. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Yes, it was hot and dusty, but it also reminded me of who I am and how far I’ve come. My journey has been humbling. Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore, five days running (well, walking, biking, or riding) around the desert reminded me that there’s a lot more magic left in the world for me to discover and enjoy.

Yay. I needed to know that.

Next year I want to bring SJ, who will be 12. It’s time.

To old-timers, it’s controversial to use technology out there. I definitely felt the pointy “you’re doing it wrong” finger of my elders as I experimented with a live video feed (Facebook) directly from the playa. No regrets! It was fun! I’d do it again.

THANK YOU to my generous benefactor, who gifted me entry inside the playa-covered gates. THANK YOU to my traveling companion, driver, and on-the-spot life and career coach Leslie and her tiny-but-mighty trusty steed, Parsley. THANK YOU to everyone at the BLD, especially to those who made room for us at the very last minute. THANK YOU friends, old and new. I really needed to land softly and I did. THANK YOU, Universe!

Look who I ran into… a dear RED reader!

Also, a big THANK YOU to Veronica Casson, August’s Artist-in-Residence. Since I was gone last week, her final piece is presented in this issue. There is no September A-i-R lined up. Anyone want to pinch hit for next week’s issue? Just next week. Easy peasy. Email me.

— Rusty Blazenhoff

p.s. This is issue #100!

Praise: “I love your newsletters. I immediately stop what I’m doing to open them & savor the links, looking forward to what I can /actually buy.’ You made my day, again.”

–Julie Jackson, Subversive Cross Stitch, Kitty Wigs and the Marie Catoinette coloring book

This space intentionally left reset

As seen on the Internets

Hellhole U.S.A.

:: A look at my first Burning Man camp (1995)
:: Day One: http://www.blazenfluff.com/day-one-bigrig-industries-camp-hasselhoff-at-burning-man-1995
:: Day Two: http://www.blazenfluff.com/day-two-bigrig-industries-camp-hasselhoff-at-burning-man-1995
:: Day Three: Next year… when I feel like scanning more photos in!

:: The 747 at Burning Man was hijacked
:: http://journal.burningman.org/2016/09/black-rock-city/tales-from-the-playa/747-at-burning-man-hijacked-film-at-11/

:: An Oldie but Goodie: “Fish Heads” by Barnes & Barnes
:: https://youtu.be/cn73Wtem0No

:: “What Rave Culture is Teaching Modern Graphic Designers“
:: https://aiga.org/what-rave-culture-is-teaching-modern-graphic-designers/

:: An Un-Conventional Thirst: Collecting 7Up’s Most Beautiful, Hallucinatory Billboards
:: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/collecting-7ups-most-beautiful-hallucinatory-billboards/

:: Psychedelic Alpha-Bits ads of the 1970s
:: http://dangerousminds.net/comments/psychedelic_alpha-bits_tv_commercials_of_the_early_70s

:: Mall converted to micro-apartments
:: http://www.popsugar.com/home/Providence-Shopping-Mall-Converted-Apartments-37434301

:: Ole’s Waffle House in Alameda has its own pancake & waffle mix now!
:: http://amzn.to/2c1DeV9

:: Silly silent music video: “Dancing in the Street” by David Bowie & Mick Jagger
:: https://youtu.be/BHkhIjG0DKc

:: Electric “rollerskates”
:: http://amzn.to/2cyIi2v
:: video: https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider/videos

Real things you can actually buy: nay!

via Dangerous Minds

via Foodiggity

Real things you can actually buy: yay!

After watching the documentary about him a while back, I instantly became a HUGE fan of the legendary talent manager Shep Gordon. I enjoyed it so much I watched it again and whenever I’m asked for a movie recommendation, I always offer up Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.

He’s totally a kindred spirit. I could spend all day talking him up.

Instead, I’ll tell you this…

He’s got a BOOK coming out! Squee! It’s called They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock’n’Roll: http://amzn.to/2c1UmJY

It will be released on September 20 and is available to pre-order now.

Here’s an excerpt (captured from his Facebook page):

——
“That’s when the girl punched me in the mouth”

“I was really scared to be in Los Angeles. I was in my early twenties and a continent away from my family and friends. The job I had headed to California for had ended in less than a day. I had enough money to survive for maybe a month, and no prospects beyond that. My mother had always accused me of being irresponsible. I seemed to be proving her right.

On the other hand, I was ecstatic. I was on my own in Hollywood, California, high as a kite on acid. For the first time in my life I had nobody to tell me what to do. I was simultaneously scared to death and thinking, Wow, man, look at you!

Around midnight I stepped out onto the balcony. The courtyard was hazy with that kind of misty fog that rolls into L.A. some nights, and lit from inside by the blue pool lights. I was standing there, awash in my confusion of fear and elation, when from somewhere in that blue haze, down by the pool, I heard a girl scream. I could barely make out some figures down there. For some reason, whenever someone is in trouble, in any way, my instinct is always to be the guy on the white horse who saves them. I hurried down the stairs and into the haze. Ahead of me vague figures tumbled around beside the pool near the diving board. My brain went right to rape. I’m not sure why. Rape had never been any part of my life.

I said something like, “Hey, man, you can’t do that,” and went to separate them.

Thatâ€™s when the girl punched me in the mouth.

“We’re fucking,” she said. “Would you please leave us alone?” Boy was I embarrassed. I made a hasty retreat back up to my room, feeling much more like a schmuck than a hero. The ecstatic side of my mood vanished, and it took a while to get to sleep.

The next afternoon I woke up to a beautiful day of Southern California sunshine. I went down to the pool, where some young people my age were lounging around in the shade. The girl among them asked, “Are you the guy who interrupted us last night?” She told everyone the story and they all started laughing.

Then she introduced herself. She was Janis Joplin. Lounging on pool chairs around her were Jimi Hendrix; Lester and Willie Chambers of the Chambers Brothers, who had the hit song “Time Has Come Today”; Bobby Neuwirth, Bob Dylan’s road manager; and Paul Rothchild of Elektra Records, who produced albums by Janis, the Doors, and others.

Completely by chance, without knowing a thing about it, I had put myself in the hotel where a lot of music people stayed when they came to L.A. I had no idea at that moment, but the rest of my life had just begun.”

http://amzn.to/2c1UmJY

——
Need more Shep?

Listen to this podcast interview with him: “A Supermensch in Maui”
https://theartofcharm.com/shep-gordon-supermensch-maui-episode-544/

Artist-in-Residence: Veronica Casson

“Cabin Kitchen sketch”

I thought I would show something a bit different this week. Recently I’ve been enjoying sketching on a tablet (as opposed to a sketchbook or paper as I usually do) and so was inspired to share one of those pieces.

My family and I are just returning from our yearly trip up to a group of cabins we stay at near the Eel River (California). I have drawn the cabins and surrounding nature many times and have always meant to sketch the cabin’s cozy kitchen but never had. This year I finally took the time to do a digital sketch one morning while my wife was making us breakfast. Yum!

materials: Ipad and Adobe Draw.
—

Veronica Casson is a Bay Area Illustrator, storyboard artist, and Graphic Designer. She has shown in galleries in San Francisco, New York and San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. Veronica has worked in comic publishing as a designer for over a decade. She can be found throughout the world with a sketchbook in hand.

More of her work can be found at www.veronicacasson.com She blogs at www.saltandfog.com.

Veronicaâ€™s work is currently showing at the Salada Cafe in Pacifica, California. From now through September.

Events of note

20th Anniversary of ArtCar Fest

SF Bay Area
[10/7-10/9] The 20th Anniversay of ArtCar Fest
[10/8] ArtCar Fest Bash at NIMBY, 6 PM to 2 AM [Tickets]

West Coast, USA
[Until 9/12] Real Real Talk & The Grand Newsstand PNW Tour 2016

Various Cities
[9/11] 30th anniversary showings of Labyrinth

[Ongoing] Silent Book Club

Alameda, California
[Starts 9/12] “Show Your Work:” Monday Book Club for artists & performers, 10 AM at Julie’s, Free

[Starts 9/15] “Show Your Work:” Thursday Book Club for artists & performers, 5 PM at Julie’s, Free

[9/9] Closing party for Redux Studios & Gallery, 6 PM til late

[9/16] TILT! Stand-Up, Storytelling & Pinball at Pacific Pinball Museum

[9/18] Intro to Improv workshop with Dan Ronco at Rhythmix, 7 PM to 9 PM [Tickets]

[10/1-10/2] 11th Annual Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale, 5 PM to 7 PM

[11/5] The 23rd Annual Le Bal des Vampires at Alameda Elks Lodge [Tickets]

Berkeley, California
[1/6] The Lookouting: A Celebration of Lookout! Records at 924 Gilman

Austin, Texas
[10/22] Austin Skipathon, 10 AM [Register]

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
[9/30] Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club screening 6 PM [Tickets] Thanks, Heather!

Las Vegas
[Ongoing] Akhob, an immersive “Ganzfeld effect” experience by artist James Turrell at Louis Vuitton [by appt only: 702-730-3150] HIGHLY recommended!

London
[10/6-10/8] “The Joy of Bees” by Bompas & Parr, an “immersive experiential art installation and gastronomic tasting of honeys”

[Until 10/30] Dinner At The Twits: “Join Mr & Mrs Twit in their windowless house and ghastly garden for an evening you will never forget.” [Tickets]

Los Angeles
[Begins 9/13] 8-week long Neon workshop at Lili Lakich Studio, 6 pm to 9 PM

[Until 10/2] The Tension Experience: Ascension, “more than immersive theatre, more than a haunted house, more than anything you could imagine. It is a journey into darkness with the possibility of being reborn in the light” [Tickets]

[Until 10/2] White Rabbit Red Rabbit: â€œA playful, enigmatic and haunting solo show by the Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour.â€

[Until 11/27] Guillermo del Toro exhibit at LACMA

[9/10] 2016 ESTAR(SER) Joint Symposium â€œInquiries into the Order of the Third Birdâ€ hosted by The Museum of Jurassic Technology at Foshay Masonic Lodge in Culver City

[9/16-10/23] Creep Los Angeles

[9/17] Horton’s Hayride in San Pedro, CA, 1 PM [Tickets]

[9/18] Charles Phoenix at Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 4 PM [Tickets]

[9/25] Charles Phoenix: Retro Disneyland Slideshow, Palmdale, CA, 2 PM to 4 PM [Tickets]

[9/29-10/31] Queen Mary Dark Harbor at That Big Ship in Long Beach

[10/1] Dolly Parton at Hollywood Bowl [Tickets]

[10/8-10/9] David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption at Ace Hotel via

[10/15] Charles Phoenix: This is Americana, Long Beach, CA, 8 PM [Tickets]

[10/29 & 10/30] “Tim Burtonâ€™s The Nightmare Before Christmas”: Danny Elfman Halloween show at Hollywood Bowl with special guests, including Paul Reubens: SPECIAL PRESALE TICKETS available with code found HERE

[11/6] Krampus mask-masking workshop, 1 PM to 5 PM

[12/5-12/8] Henry Rollins at Largo

[Starts 10/2017] Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at The Broad

Maxwell, California
[6/15-6/18/2017] Camp Tipsy 2017, “an annual rotten boat building contest and campout”

Mountain View
[9/24] Dolly Parton at Shoreline, 8 PM [Tickets]

New York City
Quirky NYC by Oriana Leckert:
:: “From Bumper Cars to Torah Taxidermy: A Guide to 25 of Brooklyn’s Most Unusual Museums”
:: “From Elevators to Outsider Art: A Guide to 16 Under-the-Radar Museums in Queens”

[Ongoing] Sleep No More at The McKittrick Hotel
[Ongoing] Jungle-Ized by Sound Collective, Free
[Ongoing] The Ferry Play on the Staten Island Ferry, $1.99
[Ongoing] More NYC events
[Ongoing] Madame Tussauds New York hyper-reality Ghostbusters Experience

[9/17] Atlas Obscura: Printed Rivals

[9/22] Shep Gordon in Conversation with Anthony Bourdain at Kaufmann Concert Hall, 7 PM

[11/10] 55th Annual Gala for La MaMa experimental theatre (with a live performance by Allee Willis)

[10/26] Opening night for Wilderness, a “multimedia, documentary theatre experience that illuminates the quest for connection within the 21st century American family”

[11/10] Allee Willis is performing in New York City [More details as I get them]

Oakland
[Until 9/9] Kaiser Center Rooftop Garden Concerts, Fridays, 12 PM to 1 PM, Free Thanks, Jewelz!

[Until 9/25] Altered State: Marijuana in California at OMCA

[9/10] Exploring Public Art Practices Symposium at Oakland Museum, 1 PM to 6 PM

[9/10] TURFinc 4 Year Anniversary Dance Battle at Omni Commons [Tickets]

[9/23] Chronicle Movie Night at Children’s Fairyland [VOTE]

[9/30] 4th Annual Drawn Together: A Celebration of Bay Area Artists at Fairyland, 6 PM to 9 PM, 21+ [Tickets]

[10/8] ArtCar Fest Bash at NIMBY, 6 PM to 2 AM [Tickets]

[10/12-10/15] 5th Anniversary Autumn Lights Festival at the Gardens at Lake Merritt

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thank you, Stefan Jewett!
[Until 9/30] Surveillance: An Exhibition of Work on the Observation, Recording, and Storage of Human Activity at Esther Klein Gallery
Surveillance Drone Action Figure Workshop 8/27 1 PM

[9/13] Intro to Interactive Art and Intro to 3D Printing courses at The Hacktory, 6:30 PM (these are monthly)

[9/15] Adam Greenâ€™s Aladdin â€“ Film and Concert at Milkboy, 8 PM

[10/5-10/31] ERASERHEAD FOREVER exhibit at Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art. They are currently looking for all mediums submissions until 9/19

[11/9] Diane Coffee at Boot & Saddle, 8:30 PM

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
[10/22] El Vez, the Mexican Elvis at The Warhol Museum

Portland, Oregon
[9/8-9/11] XOXO 2016 at the Revolution Hall [Register]

San Francisco
:: “Best storytelling events in the Bay Area”
:: Upscale vs. Frugal SF
[Ongoing] Elsewhere Philatelic Society
[Ongoing] More SF events
[Ongoing] Prelinger Library events

[Through Sept] Midwayville, a mixed reality popup carnival at SoMa StrEat Food, 7 PM to 12 AM

[Until 10/1] The Speakeasy: illicit bar, crooked casino, immersive theatrical experience at a discreet location near you [Tickets]

[Through Oct] San Francisco Neon Survivors and Icons From the Archives, SF Library, Main Branch, 4th floor

[Until 10/30] Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition at The Contemporary Jewish Museum (highly recommended!)

[Opening in Oct] The William Blake Gallery at 49 Geary

[Through November] Come Out and Play SF 2016

[9/10-12/18] Home Land Security at Fort Winfield Scott and the Presidio, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, Freee

[9/12] Calling All Choir’s Fall Rehearsals begin

[9/14] Fireside Storytelling: “Storyteller’s Choice” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[9/16] Bona Fide (7:30) and Bawdy Storytelling (10:30) at Verdi Club

[9/21-9/22] Dent: Space at Innovation Hangar

[9/29] Bobby Bare Sr. + Bobby Bare Jr. at Doc’s Lab, 8 PM [Tickets]

[9/29-10/2] Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at Golden Gate Park, Free (but super crowded)

[10/1] Descent Into Madness, the release party for Chicken John’s The Book of the Un at 111 Minna, $20 admission (includes book price)

[10/9] Burning Man Decompression: Heat the Street Faire, 12 PM to 12 AM

[10/12] Fireside Storytelling: “Games People Play” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[10/13] Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary, 8 PM [Tickets]

[10/13] Mark Bittman on baking at JCCSF, 7 PM [Tickets]

[10/15-10/23] The Natives Are Restless: “From overthrow to uprising, an epic tale of Hawaiian resilience” at The Palace of Fine Arts [Info]

[10/22] 7th Annual SuperHero Street Fair 2016, 1 PM to 11 PM [Tickets]

[11/9] Fireside Storytelling: “Caught in the Act” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[11/19] The Artumnal Gathering, 5:45 PM to 2 AM

[12/14] Fireside Storytelling: “Hot!” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[10/2017] 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love

San Jose, California
[9/24] Art Party 2016 â€” An Occasional and Irrational San Jose Arts Fest, 6 PM

[9/24-10/1] Anne & Mark’s Art Party at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds [Tickets]

[10/4-10/7] Big Ideas Fest, “designing the future of education”

[10/14, 10/15 & 10/16] One-Day Taxidermy Workshop Series [Sign up]

SF Bay Area
[Ongoing] Best swimming holes in the SF Bay Area

[10/7-10/9] Art Car Fest [Crowdfund]

Santa Fe, New Mexico
[Ongoing] Meow Wolf [Read this] [Tickets]

[9/2] The 92nd Annual Zozobra

Seattle
“The Obscure, the Charming and the Odd: Mark Pahlow’s Guide to Seattle”

[9/8] Bawdy Storytelling: “Talk Dirty to Me” at Re-bar Seattle, 8 PM [Tickets]

Somerville, Massachusetts
[9/24] What the Fluff? Fluff Festival

Sonoma County, California
[Until 9/25] We Players presents Romeo and Juliet, “ a site-responsive staging of the classic” in Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, “a historic old California rancho” Thanks, Albert!

Sun Valley, Idaho
[3/19/2017-3/22/2017] Dent 2017, a creative retreat for people who want to “put a dent in the universe,” as Steve Jobs once said. (Highly recommended!)

Washington, D.C.
[10/3] South by South Lawn: A White House Festival of Ideas, Art, and Action

HEY YOU, YES YOU

Know about a cool happening, soiree, and/or event? I can’t be everywhere and know about everything, so s hare it with me! I’ll do my best to include it in the next issue.